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Season 12 of the soybean pest podcast starts off with a bang, a hot, dry bang.  The midwestern drought is affecting all of us, even the 6-legged.

Check the UNL drought monitor for the current status (hint, its bleak: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?IA)

We talk spider mites, cause its hot and dry.

Erin discusses the remarkable pests outbreaks occurring in alfalfa, exacerbated by a mild winter and hot, dry spring.

Matt turns our attention to Japanese beetles (JB), and the duo speculate about the impact weather has on their abundance. Erin notes a trend of JB larvae in the interior of cropfields, not just the edges. (https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2021/06/japanese-beetle-adu...)

Erin notes the first appearance of soybean gall midges in northeaster Iowa. Matt notes some progress in detecting insecticide resistant aphids.

Rootworms are also discussed as we note egg hatch, signaled with the appearance of lightening bugs.

Finally, Erin takes might to school with reports of the Hackberry emperor. Its a pretty butterfly, definitely not a thistle caterpillar and notorious for being a cheater (https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/blog/erin-hodgson/have-you-seen-chea...)

To wrap up- Erin gives updates on her live events and we note the 26 June is pollinator fest at Reiman gardens (https://www.reimangardens.com/event/pollinator-fest-7/)

Also, did we mention its hot and dry?

Stay tuned for weekly updates now that the field season is in full gear.

The 4th of July weekend delayed Matt posting this podcast.

We talk about pests: corn rootworms, japanese beetles, and soybean aphdis. The dry weather is making people worried about two-spotted spider mites, so we talk a bit about that.

Matt gives shares a "Fun (?) Insect Trivia" question about the conservation reserve practice described as "Pollinator Habitat" or CP42.  Some new analysis of where CP42 is located in Iowa is the source of this question.

We talk a bit about how and where this conservation practice is placed in Iowa farm land.

For more information about CP42, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/cp42_habitat.pdf

This half pod is just Matt giving a few updates, a "thank you" to the Iowa Honey Producers Association and preparation for a Fun Insect Trivia (FIT) question for next week.

Erin is out in the field today. She and I will return next week, Tuesday, to discuss what she is seeing in the field and the answer to the FIT.

In the meantime, Matt wraps up the week of 12-16 July. One big observation is the occurence of soybean aphids at really low populations. One encouraging sign is the co-occurence of insect predators and mummies. The mummies are evidence that aphids have been parasitized by wasps.  Combined, these predators and parasitoid wasps may prevent outbreaks later in the summer.

Matt gives a big thank you to the Iowa Honey Producers Association for the invite to speak at their field day last weekend. Ebert honey was the host, providing a great location to share our research on prairie strips.  The beekeepers were excited to learn more about this practice and how these patches could help improve honey bee productivity.

Finally- Note the blurry picture below.  This picture was taken by a colleague working at a central Iowa research farm. Next week, I'll ask Erin what she thinks it is and what impact, if any, it could have on crops in Iowa.

(Matt failed to add it in the original submission. Its added below.)

We got some rain in central Iowa , but it is still hot and dry. This is important for the pest that is the subject of today's Fun Insect Trivia (FIT). IN addition to that pest, Erin and I discuss the insect pests that are persisting into August.

Erin runs down the list of insects that are active in corn and soybean fields- rootworms, Japanese beetles, gall midges and soybean aphids.

Although rootworms are active and surprising some farmers in their abundance, Japanese beetles are appearing to be limited to field edges. Gall midges were found in western Iowa, but aphids are low to non-existent. 

Our last pest is the topic of todays FIT. Matt asks Erin a series of questions that include the pictures below, which are leaves damaged by this pest.  See if you can match Erins knowledge on this pest.

We also discuss the upcoming fair season- check out Erin in the beer tent on August 14-15.

We also discuss the latest edition of the Tenderloin trail. https://www.iowapork.org/popular-tenderloin-trail-2-0-version/

Matt was also interviewed about the STRIPS project, including a discussion about the impact of CP43 for pollinator conservation:

https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/iowa-state-university-prairie-strips-project-farmland-benefits/524-84d4d05c-59cc-47c8-916d-16cf6c0dfd60